George Fox University

The information on this page was last updated 3/21/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

George Fox is Oregon's nationally recognized Christian university, providing students with personal attention, global opportunities to learn and serve, and a supportive community that encourages academic rigor and spiritual growth.

George Fox offers more than 60 undergraduate programs, 13 master's and doctoral degrees, five degree-completion programs for working adults, and seven seminary degrees on the university's campus in Newberg, Oregon, and at teaching sites in Portland, Salem and Redmond, Oregon.


Contact information

Mailing address:
George Fox University
414 N. Meridian St
Newberg, OR 97132

Website: georgefox.edu

Phone: 503-538-8383

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 930386839

CEO/President: Dr. Robin Baker

Chairman:

Board size: 30

Founder: Quaker pioneers

Ruling year: 1963

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 06/30

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:


Purpose

To educate and inspire students to pursue God's calling.

It's the hope each student brings to the college experience. To be known by name. To be understood, valued, encouraged and uplifted.

At George Fox, to be known means that professors and staff connect with students in authentic ways - personally, academically, spiritually - recognizing that we all come to this place with different backgrounds, life experiences and dreams for the future. To be known means that students not only learn new ideas, they share their own. To be known means to be heard.

When students feel what it's like to be known in this way, they become inspired. And that's when real change happens. Knowledge moves from the mind to the heart. Careers turn into callings. Faith turns into action. And that's why we begin with a simple promise, that each student will be known.


Mission statement

George Fox University, a Christ-centered community, prepares students spiritually, academically, and professionally to think with clarity, act with integrity, and serve with passion.


Statement of faith

The Trinity

We believe in one eternal God, the source and goal of life, who exists as three persons in the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In love and joy, God creates and sustains the universe, including humanity, male and female, who are made in God's image.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father Almighty, whose love is the foundation of salvation and righteous judgment, and who calls us into covenant relationship with God and with one another.

God the Son

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Word, who is fully God and fully human. He came to show us God and perfect humanity, and, through his life, death, and resurrection, to reconcile us to God. He is now actively present with us as Savior, Teacher, Lord, Healer, and Friend.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who breathed God's message into the prophets and apostles, opens our eyes to God's Truth in Jesus Christ, empowers us for holy living, and carries on in us the work of salvation.

Salvation

We believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, to whom we must respond with repentance, faith, and obedience. Through Christ we come into a right relationship with God, our sins are forgiven, and we receive eternal life.

The Bible

We believe that God inspired the Bible and has given it to us as the uniquely authoritative, written guide for Christian living and thinking. As illumined by the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures are true and reliable. They point us to God, guide our lives, and nurture us toward spiritual maturity.

The Christian Life

We believe that God has called us to be and to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to be God's agents of love and reconciliation in the world. In keeping with the teaching of Jesus, we work to oppose violence and war, and we seek peace and justice in human relationships and social structures.

The Church

We believe in the church as the people of God, composed of all who believe in Jesus Christ, who support and equip each other through worship, teaching, and accountability, who model God's loving community, and who proclaim the gospel to the world.

Christian Worship

We believe Christ is present as we gather in his name, seeking to worship in spirit and in truth. All believers are joined in the one body of Christ, are baptized by the Spirit, and live in Christ's abiding presence. Christian baptism and communion are spiritual realities, and, as Christians from many faith traditions, we celebrate these in different ways.

The Future

We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ, in the resurrection of the dead, in God's judgment of all persons with perfect justice and mercy, and in eternal reward and punishment. Ultimately, Christ's kingdom will be victorious over all evil, and the faithful will reign with him in eternal life.

Donor confidence score

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Transparency grade

C

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Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Colleges/Universities

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating443 of 107746 of 130
Fund acquisition rating679 of 107885 of 130
Resource allocation rating401 of 107848 of 130
Asset utilization rating393 of 107737 of 130

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
11%24%26%17%14%22%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
2%1%1%1%1%1%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
18%5%3%4%7%4%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
2%1%1%1%1%1%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
82%95%97%96%93%96%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
84%87%86%86%85%86%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
95%94%94%92%89%91%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
79%82%81%79%76%78%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
5%6%6%8%11%9%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
4%6%6%9%12%11%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
13%12%13%13%14%13%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
0.500.640.640.710.720.71
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
2.662.402.552.462.342.60
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.541.551.641.741.691.85
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
7.304.984.984.835.364.43
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.140.200.200.210.190.23
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
6.416.205.855.465.785.02
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
25%30%31%27%27%34%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
15%18%20%16%16%20%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
143%108%107%104%100%93%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20202019201820172016
Cash$7,454,843$28,292,583$2,691,022$36,563,502$29,902,188
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$1,198,127$2,637,800$4,065,912$5,725,909$4,117,426
Short-term investments$75,015,046$45,351,529$63,200,374$25,685,387$22,956,957
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$83,668,016$76,281,912$69,957,308$67,974,798$56,976,571
Long-term investments$85,221$85,221$107,511$109,641$111,718
Fixed assets$116,188,920$116,583,304$100,989,557$89,425,075$88,646,325
Other long-term assets$981,520$1,196,336$1,388,922$1,354,561$2,260,264
Total long-term assets$117,255,661$117,864,861$102,485,990$90,889,277$91,018,307
Total assets$200,923,677$194,146,773$172,443,298$158,864,075$147,994,878
 
Liabilities20202019201820172016
Payables and accrued expenses$8,280,975$7,871,174$7,614,585$5,715,399$5,513,811
Other current liabilities$8,528,038$7,447,266$6,877,304$6,972,558$7,361,321
Total current liabilities$16,809,013$15,318,440$14,491,889$12,687,957$12,875,132
Debt$36,829,432$38,927,472$26,758,570$24,898,003$29,464,087
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$7,444,436$5,858,246$4,787,627$6,017,629$7,550,629
Total long-term liabilities$44,273,868$44,785,718$31,546,197$30,915,632$37,014,716
Total liabilities$61,082,881$60,104,158$46,038,086$43,603,589$49,889,848
 
Net assets20202019201820172016
Without donor restrictions$107,940,667$104,593,042$97,361,448$85,297,768$72,947,374
With donor restrictions$31,900,129$29,449,573$29,043,764$29,962,718$25,157,656
Net assets$139,840,796$134,042,615$126,405,212$115,260,486$98,105,030
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20202019201820172016
Total contributions$7,516,708$4,565,394$5,508,798$8,813,071$4,864,348
Program service revenue$125,489,183$124,515,128$122,290,841$117,900,835$109,137,716
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$1,922,790$1,648,700$2,932,485$470,041$419,276
Other revenue$2,350,957$2,339,240$2,265,463$1,269,646$1,700,160
Total other revenue$129,762,930$128,503,068$127,488,789$119,640,522$111,257,152
Total revenue$137,279,638$133,068,462$132,997,587$128,453,593$116,121,500
 
Expenses20202019201820172016
Program services$111,972,751$107,611,427$104,505,162$97,072,890$90,728,431
Management and general$15,604,145$16,157,684$16,389,982$16,392,151$13,665,754
Fundraising$1,797,509$1,192,936$951,243$1,257,987$1,067,423
Total expenses$129,374,405$124,962,047$121,846,387$114,723,028$105,461,608
 
Change in net assets20202019201820172016
Surplus (deficit)$7,905,233$8,106,415$11,151,200$13,730,565$10,659,892
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$7,905,233$8,106,415$11,151,200$13,730,565$10,659,892

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
BakerrobinPresident$428,932
Davenport GregDirector$247,736
Piersall VickiChief Financial Officer$244,092
Samek LindaProvost$210,972
Harder BobExecutive Dean Industrial Enterprise$203,336
Reza MichaelVP For Advancement$195,380
Peterson MaryProfessor Clinical Psychology$180,557
Dougherty RyanVP For Enrollment & Marketing$177,625
LaubradleyVP For Student Life$168,270
Bikis JekabsDean of Business$165,422
Cuddeford TylerDirector of Pt$153,496
Shelton MarcDean of Education$142,015
Westervelt Rob FormerChief Strategy Officer$136,111

Compensation data as of: 6/30/2020


Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.


The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/21/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

George Fox is the oldest Christian university in Oregon.

Land of the Kalapuya
The university's Newberg campus is located in the fertile Willamette River Valley where the Kalapuya and other native tribes maintained hunter-gatherer societies for thousands of years. Their way of life changed with western expansion. Following catastrophic epidemics and treaties with the U.S. government in the 1850s, most of the remaining Kalapuya were forced to join an estimated 1,000 native Americans on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Today tribal members still maintain their connection to their homelands and contribute significantly to the ongoing development of the region.

Humble Beginnings
Several decades after the forced removal of the Kalapuya, Quaker pioneers came to Newberg. One of the settlers' first priorities, along with the founding of their church, was the education of their children. They established the Friends Pacific Academy in 1885, which focused on Christian instruction. Among those first academy students was a future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover.

At the same time, the founding pioneers were looking ahead with the dream of a college to provide further and more advanced education. That time came on Sept. 9, 1891, with the opening of the doors of Pacific College. Fifteen students were enrolled the first day of classes.

Since then, the institution has seen major changes, including a name change. In 1949, because of the many "Pacific" colleges, the school was renamed "George Fox College" in honor of the founder of the Friends (Quaker) movement.

From Small College to Nationally Renowned
The college remained a small and intimate learning environment in the years following and received accreditation in 1959. Over the next 20 years, the college would add facilities and increase the academic rigor of its programs.

During the 1980s, George Fox adopted an innovative mindset and rapidly expanded its program offerings, which triggered a growth spurt that continued for the next 20 years. Among the additions was adult education: George Fox became the first college in the Northwest to offer degree-completion programs for working adults in 1986.

With the school's merger with Western Evangelical Seminary in 1996, the college changed its name to "George Fox University." During the next 12 years, the university experienced rapid growth, quadrupling in size.

George Fox Today
Today, more than 4,100 students attend George Fox, a nationally recognized Christian university that provides students with personal attention, global opportunities to learn and serve, and a supportive community that encourages academic rigor and spiritual growth.

The university offers more than 40 majors, adult degree programs, six seminary degrees, and 13 master's and doctoral degrees. In addition to a residential campus in Newberg, Oregon, classes are now taught in Portland, Salem and Redmond, Oregon.


Program accomplishments

We are an accredited nonprofit institution consistently ranked among the nation's top Christian colleges (Forbes) and are classified as a "Best National University" (U.S. News & World Report).

92% of undergraduate students are employed, accepted to graduate school or doing volunteer assignments within 12-months of graduation. (2020)


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